


winter warmth

by Kazura



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hugs, Kissing, M/M, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 07:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12648747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazura/pseuds/Kazura
Summary: It’s been a while since Titan and Orion have found themselves alone together. When Titan’s heater breaks in the middle of winter, they make the most of it.





	winter warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [marise](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=marise).



> _Orion gives and gives and gives._   
> 

Shoving his legs under the kotatsu, Titan glares at the air conditioner of his and his brothers’ apartment. The old thing’s broken, and the repairmen that he called for the job just left, leaving promises of returning as soon as they could after searching for the right parts. Titan’s heaving another sigh when his phone vibrates in his pocket. His irritation flares up, and he can’t help clicking his tongue when he fishes his phone out, only to freeze and feel guilt eat at him when he sees whom the message is from.

> **Orion** : Good morning, Titan. I hope you slept well. I’m aware that it’s one of our rare days off, but I can’t help wanting to ask. Would you mind if I dropped by? You needn’t force yourself if you’d really rather I refrain, of course. That’s completely understandable.

Titan chews on his lower lip and lets his thumbs hover over the screen before typing his response with an all too heavy heart.

> **Titan** : sorry. now’s probably not the best time. having a bit of trouble at home
> 
> **Orion** : I see. Thank you for telling me.

Pursing his lips, he stares at the screen and tries to think of something else to say. Something reassuring, maybe. Insist that it’s not Orion’s fault and that Titan’s not trying to avoid him. That he just doesn’t want to invite him over if he’s going to have to leave the apartment at some point to let the men do their work on the AC when they finally get back. Because Orion doesn’t deserve that. He deserves more. So much more.

Titan’s still staring when his phone vibrates again.

> **Orion** : May I call you?

Titan inhales sharply. That should be fine, right?

> **Titan** : sure

Not five seconds have passed when his phone begins to play the familiar sound of a violin. Heart thudding in his chest, he quickly accepts the call and presses his phone against his ear.

“Good morning, Titan,” comes Orion’s voice, and it scares Titan how easily a smile tugs at his lips. It’s a good thing his brothers have already both gone to school, or Nickel will probably start asking a lot of questions about the state of his face again.

“Hey,” he says, his voice carefully measured. “You wanted to talk about something?”

“Yes. I wanted to know how you’re doing,” Orion says. “You mentioned trouble. May I ask what it is? I’d like to be of assistance, if I’m able.”

Titan runs a hand through his hair. “It’s fine. Our AC just stopped working,” he explains. “I’m still waiting for the repairmen to come back. They had to go to Akibarn. Looks like the one we have is really old.”

“I see. Will you be all right? Are you warm enough?”

“Yeah. I have the kotatsu, remember?”

Orion chuckles. “I do remember. I quite enjoyed the…hotpot, was it? That we had then, too. I’d like to eat some again with you, if you won’t mind.”

Titan sinks even further into the kotatsu until he’s completely lying down on the rug that separates the kotatsu from the floor. “That’d be nice,” he mumbles.

“I’m glad you think so. However, perhaps it would be better if I got along with your brothers first before we try again.”

“Nickel already likes you.” His youngest brother says as much, often with a grin and a spoken wish of how he’d like for “Ori-niitama” to visit again. Preferably with sweets. Nickel’s even drawn Orion a few times, inserting him into pictures that would otherwise be just the three of them as usual.

“Balt doesn’t seem to,” Orion says quietly, a frown in his voice.

“It’s not that he doesn’t,” Titan says, slow and careful. “He just thinks it’s weird how you insist on using a fork and knife for nearly everything.” Among a lot of other things that Balt thinks is weird about him. Like how wide his sweeps are with a broom. Or how he doesn’t know what miso soup is supposed to taste like.

But Orion’s learned since then. He’s been trying really, really hard, and Titan can’t help the desire to see him right then and there.

“I don’t quite like the feeling of anything sticky in my fingers,” Orion protests, his tone unbelievably petulant.

The mere mental image of Orion pouting over fruits startles a laugh out of Titan.

Orion rewards him with an offended gasp. “Titan!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Titan says, still smiling. “I figured it was something like that.”

Orion huffs over the phone. “Would it help me regain my dignity if I were to say that I’m attempting to get used to it?”

Titan sighs contentedly. “Yeah?”

“Indeed! I managed to peel an orange by myself the other day,” Orion says proudly. Titan can almost imagine him beaming and holding his head high while flourishing a peeled orange for Jii to see.

Titan chuckles. “You can use a knife to peel an orange, you know. Just not the way you did it that time.”

“I want to do it the way you’re used to,” Orion says, his voice a soft, silver song.

Titan closes his eyes to it.

Sighing, he turns on his side, his phone still pressed against his ear. “You don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’m not,” Orion says. He sounds so quiet, so faraway.

Titan snuggles further into the kotatsu and hums.

“I want to do this.”

Titan would have smiled at that, smiled yet tried to change the topic, because he already feels so warm despite the broken heater. Except, he really is too warm, too comfortable, that he can’t even muster the energy to open his eyes, let alone open his mouth to say anything more, and the next thing he knows is that—

The loud clanging of someone rushing up the rusty stairs leading to their apartment startles him awake. He yawns, bringing a hand over his mouth as he blinks at the direction of the door, waiting for a knock, or perhaps the sounds of footsteps going down the stairs as they realize they’ve made some mistake about the address.

He gets the knock, loud and frantic, and a familiar panicked yell of his name.

A wave of nausea hits him as he scrambles to stand up. Closing his eyes, he impatiently waits for it to subside before running for the door.

When he swings the door open, he’s greeted with the sight of his wide-eyed boyfriend, his cheeks flushed from the winter air. With shaking hands, Orion reaches for him.

“Titan,” he whispers, a freezing cloud of his breath blowing past his lips. “Titan. Titan, are you all right?”

Titan blinks up at him and relishes the feeling of his grip on his arms. “Orion, what are you doing here?” Getting over his initial shock, he glances past Orion and searches for any sign of Jii. He’s not there. No one else is.

Orion gives him a small, yet frantic shake, startling him from his thoughts. “Are you all right?” he repeats, his voice a few notes higher than the last.

“Y-yeah, I am. I’m fine. Why?”

Orion sighs in relief before giving him a small smile. “I heard a thud over the phone. I called out your name quite a few times, but you never answered. I feared you had collapsed.”

Oh. Right. He was in a call with Orion. His phone slipping his loosened grip and hitting the rug is probably what he heard.

Titan feels Orion’s hands letting go as Titan rubs his own face with both of his. “Sorry,” he says, his voice muffled. He brings down his hands and mirrors Orion’s smile. “I really am. I didn’t mean to give you a scare. I guess I just fell asleep.”

“Oh,” Orion says, attempting not to sound crestfallen, but Titan has seen it enough by now that he can tell Orion’s mood just from seeing him look away briefly. “I see. My apologies for being a—”

“It’s not your fault!” It absolutely was, but not in the way he’s most definitely thinking. His voice was too nice. Too warm. Too soothing to listen to when he’s stressed out of his mind. Like he’d admit that aloud though. He’s embarrassed enough already. “You’re not boring to talk to, or anything like that. It’s…it’s the kotatsu,” he says instead, staring at Orion’s black peacoat. The coat itself looks far too nice on him, giving him an air of elegance that suits the heir of a large financial group.

No. Stop. He just woke up. He’s hardly prepared for his boyfriend showing up at his doorstep and looking like the finalist of a contest searching for the city’s next top model while Titan himself looks very much like he just rolled out of bed. That doesn’t mean he can’t try to avoid fixating on how he wants to reach out and smooth out Orion’s frown though, right? Wait. Shit.

“The kotatsu, yeah. It was too warm,” he finishes lamely, trying very hard to stare at the tassels of Orion’s black and white scarf instead. “You know how it is.” It’s not a lie either.

“Ah, yes.” Orion chuckles, and Titan wants to scream, because how dare he. “I do remember nodding off when I tried it myself. It was very comfortable. I understand.”

“Yeah.” Titan laughs, all while wanting to pull up his own scarf and maybe hide his face. “Sorry you ended up coming here for that.”

Orion shakes his head. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I came over despite what you told me earlier.” Orion gives him one of those self-depreciating smiles—the one where he furrows his brow yet forces himself to smile anyway. “Admittedly, I would gladly take any excuse to see you.”

Titan’s face burns, and he feels all too exposed.

It doesn’t help that they’re still at the doorway, and that a strong wind just reminded him that he’s only wearing his scarf and a worn cardigan over his thin long-sleeved shirt.

“It’s fine. Uh, why don’t you come on in?” he asks, gesturing towards the inside of his apartment.

“I’ll do that, yes,” Orion says, smiling, before bending down at his knees and reaching for two plastic bags at his feet.

Titan blinks, but he waits until Orion has already walked past him so he could shut the door before asking, “What are those?”

Orion sets the bags down before kneeling to remove his boots. “A halogen heater, along with other items that might prove to be useful to you and your brothers during the rest of the winter.”

“A halogen….” Titan stares as he hands Orion a pair of slippers. Plain green ones and barely used. He had to buy four new pairs, when Argon somehow managed to convince him to let them visit him and his brothers. How they all managed to fit in their tiny apartment without sending the entire complex down to the ground due to the ruckus that followed still boggles his mind.

Despite the amusing thought, Titan still frowns. “Orion.”

“Will you take it, if I said that I shall only be lending it to you?”

Titan shortly engages him in a staring contest before ultimately giving up. He may be stubborn, but so is Orion. “For how long?”

“Indefinitely. That is, for as long as you need it,” Orion says, not missing a beat. He thought this through. Probably came up with an argument for everything Titan’s going to end up saying. The little…. “It’s not the only thing I’ve brought for you either. Would it be all right if we have a seat?”

Sighing, Titan leads him further into the apartment.

“You didn’t have to, you know,” Titan says, taking his place back on one side of the kotatsu. “The repairmen told me they’ll probably get it done by today.”

“Take it as a precaution,” Orion says, sitting down opposite of Titan with his bags on either side. “In the event that it breaks down again, you and your brothers can use this instead. I hope it won’t, of course, but you can never be too sure. You’re not going to spend the entire night sleeping under the kotatsu then, would you?”

“Of course not. Balt and Nickel might get sick.”

“You might, too, and I believe I’ve asked you to take care of your health as much as you’re able.”

“You did, yeah. I am. It’s not like I’m trying to get sick or anything.” Rubbing his arm consciously, Titan sighs again. “Okay, fine. I’ll take you up on it.” He offers Orion what he hopes to at least look like a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“It’s completely my pleasure.” Orion takes the larger of the plastic bags by the handle in one hand and braces himself against the floor with the other. “Allow me to set it up then.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll do it,” Titan says, hurrying over to Orion’s side and snatching the plastic bag containing the heater away. There’s no way he could let Orion stumble around their old and tiny apartment while trying to find a working socket.

He tries to ignore the feeling of Orion’s gaze boring into his back as he plugged the heater in. As soon as it lights up, Titan nods in satisfaction and goes back to Orion. In a spur of the moment, instead of taking his original spot, Titan sits right beside Orion instead, using the pretense of peering at the direction of the remaining bag as an excuse. “What about the other stuff you mentioned?”

Orion doesn’t seem to have any protests regarding Titan being that close to him, even going as far as to give him a smile. He digs through the other bag and produces a small box that Titan’s all too familiar with by now. “I brought you tea.”

Titan smiles. “Of course.” He might as well start expecting Orion to give him tea every time he finds some excuse to. Not that Titan can complain about this one. It could be worse. Orion could be giving him those yellow gold tea buds he mentioned during one of their tea parties instead. Thankfully, it’s usually just chamomile tea, or some other herbal kind that won’t put considerable holes in normal people’s wallets. “Thanks.”

Orion beams. “I brought you gloves as well.” He brings out a navy blue pair and presents them to Titan. “I considered buying you leather ones, but, after some thought, it came to me that you might prefer knitted ones. Was I mistaken?”

“No,” Titan says, wide-eyed as he holds the gloves in his hands. “These are great. Are you sure about giving them to me?”

“Of course. I made them with you in mind. I would have no other use for them aside from giving them to you.”

“You…made these.” Titan almost laughs. “You.”

“Yes.”

“You can knit?”

“My mother enjoys it,” Orion says, folding his hands on the table. “She taught me when I asked. I find it relaxing.” He tilts his head, sending a few forelocks over his glasses. “Is it that odd?”

“Just unexpected, that’s all,” Titan says carefully, marveling at the stitches. They appear even. Consistent. Orion’s definitely not a beginner. Or he’s just an amazingly fast learner. Not that it’s any surprise anymore. Titan’s already seen how quick his progress can be back at the academy. But knitting? That was something he expected Orion to leave to someone else, like the countless servants under his family’s employ. “I mean, you’re…you.”

“That’s quite rude, Titan,” Orion says, huffing and making a show of looking the other way. “You can knit, too, no? Isn’t it only natural that I’ll study to do the same?”

Titan laughs. “I don’t know about natural.”

“Either way, they’re yours.” Orion starts rummaging through the bag again. When Orion looks back at him, Titan can only describe his smile as…shy. Curious, that. Utterly fascinating, even. Titan wants to see it again. “I made some for your brothers as well. I’m not completely certain if I got the sizes right, but will you give it to them?” In his hands are two more pairs of gloves, their color the same as Titan’s.

There’s no helping the grin on his face as he accepts them. “Sure.”

“Excellent. I brought some blankets as well. We have far too much that these have been sitting unused in our closets for years. I thought it best to offer them to someone who’ll be able to put them to good use.”

Titan squirms. “Orion, this is too much. I told you I’m not going to rely on you for stuff like this, right?”

Orion furrows his brow. “What do you mean? Am I not merely doing as one would expect from me as your romantic partner?”

Heat rises up to Titan’s face, and he frowns down at the gloves in his hands. Three pairs. Even if he were to set the ones for his brothers aside on the table, considering that Orion made them himself, on top of everything else, it feels far too overwhelming. “I can’t give you as much as you’re giving me.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

Pain seizes Titan’s chest, and he opens his mouth in an attempt to chase the offense away, but he’s cut off when Orion holds up a hand.

“That may have came out wrong. I apologize.” He closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath before opening them again. “I wasn’t trying to imply that you won’t be able to reciprocate. What I mean to say is, I am giving you these without expecting anything in return.”

For a moment, Orion looks away, taking interest in the tiny pairs of gloves on the table. When he looks at Titan again, his eyes shine with the same determination they had when Orion first declared Titan as the only man worthy of going against him. “I care for you very much,” he says. “You’re very important to me, and I would like to remind you of that as much as I’m able. However, this is the only way I know how to show my appreciation to you.

“My goal in this…is not to coax you into giving me something as well, but to take care of you. Does that make sense?”

Titan hums, a small noise of acknowledgment for Orion’s confession. Not knowing what else to do, he brings down his own gloves to his lap and stares down at them quietly. Anything aside from Orion’s face would do, really.

“I get it,” he finally murmurs, experimentally putting on the left glove. It fits perfectly. He takes in a deep, shaky breath and closes his eyes. “I want to do the same thing. But it doesn’t feel right that you’re the only one giving all the time. And don’t use our songs as an excuse again,” he interrupts, when he peeks up at Orion and sees him opening his mouth. “You know that those are for the band. They don’t count when it comes to this. To us.”

“You’ve done a lot for me, Titan. The songs for the band aside, you did write songs for me alone, correct? Those are very precious to me. I cannot even begin to describe how utterly grateful I am that you have dedicated them to me.”

 _Most of my songs nowadays_ are _dedicated to you_ , Titan almost points out, but he keeps his mouth clamped shut, putting on the other glove instead. How Orion said as much as he did baffles him. The mere thought of even admitting that much would’ve sent Titan aflame.

“We are artists, Titan. A song you’ve written for me speaks volumes. Please, just allow me to return the favor in my own little ways.”

“You think this is little?” He gestures at the items on the table—the gloves for his brothers, the blankets, the tea that he ever so faithfully gives every single time.

“Compared to what you’ve already done for me? Yes.”

Titan lets his shoulders slump. “I think we have very different views about that.” Maybe it’s because of the state of his family’s finances. Anything that he does is bound to look little to what Orion’s doing for him. They’re too much. Orion’s too much.

“Titan….”

“Sorry,” Titan murmurs. “I’m not really used to accepting stuff like this. I don’t think I should get used to it either.”

He can see Orion thinking, tilting his head and not spouting the first thing that comes to mind for once. “Then,” he says, after what feels like an eternity, “will it help you come to terms with accepting these if I ask for something?”

“I…I can’t do a lot,” Titan says, “but if you have something in mind, I’ll see what I can do.” It sounds pathetic, now that he’s said it aloud, but he can’t promise that he’ll be able to do anything. He’s just…him. He’ll try, definitely, but Orion is someone who can have anything he wants with the right amount of money and the snap of his fingers. Who knows what else he could possibly want?

“Then,” Orion says, softly tugging at the tassels of his scarf, “may I ask for a hug?”

Titan blinks. “What?”

Orion’s posture stiffens. “I understand if you’d rather not,” he says, words so rushed that Titan almost reaches out to pat him on his shoulders and remind him to breathe. “It’s very inappropriate to request—”

“No!” Titan blurts out. “I mean….” What did he mean? A lot of things, for sure. But above everything, “That’s all?”

“Oh.” Orion visibly squirms, as if he didn’t expect Titan to even consider it at all. What a very silly bison. “Yes. That’s all I can think of that I’d like at the moment. Is that all right?”

“Y-yeah. Just…just hold on a sec.” This would be easier, a lot easier, if Orion just hugged him without asking. It’s not as if Titan would mind. They’re alone. Nickel’s not there to ask him questions, and Selen’s not around to grin like he’s watching the most hilariously awkward romcom on television either.

“You don’t have to force yourself to.”

Titan shakes his head. He wants this, too. He’s been wanting to ever since he swung the door open and saw Orion in his stupid, stupid peacoat. “It’s fine. It’s just that….”

“Would it be easier if I let you sit on my lap?”

Titan sputters. “What?”

Orion refuses to look at him, staring down at his hands instead. The cheater. “I’ve seen my parents embrace that way quite a number of times,” he says quietly.

“Oh,” Titan breathes. “You sure?”

Orion’s still looking away, but he gives a very quick nod.

Well. If he is, here goes then.

Trying not to think of how much he’d probably weigh to Orion, Titan brings himself to sit sideways onto Orion’s lap. Minding his horn, he rests his face against Orion’s shoulder before wrapping his arms around him. It feels unnatural, maybe even awkward at first. But Titan refuses to let it stay that way. Taking in a deep breath, Titan pulls him as close as physically possible. Orion gasps, and he doesn’t take long to return the hug, his hands gripping the back of Titan’s cardigan.

Titan’s heart blossoms with warmth. He’s not really sure what he did right, but it’s hard not to think that he may be happier than he should be. He still hasn’t fulfilled most of his promises, and there are times when he feels that “inadequate” is too kind of a word for him.

But he won’t stop trying. He can’t. He needs to reach the top. And he wants Orion. More than he probably should.

Orion sighs. Happy. Content.

Thankfully, Orion wants him, too.

“You ask for the weirdest things,” Titan whispers, pushing aside his doubts and relishing the gentle scent of lavenders instead. It takes great willpower not to start sniffing more of Orion’s cologne right then and there.

“Do I?” Orion asks, his voice low and quiet and all too illegal.

Titan hums. “We can do this anytime, you know,” he says, grateful that Orion can’t see his face. “You don’t even have to ask.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Orion says, gently rubbing Titan’s back with a hand. “You’d be appalled if you knew how much I want to embrace you. Or kiss you.”

He might have scoffed at that. But he just grins against Orion’s shoulder and says, “I already told you that’s normal, right?”

“I suppose you did. Still, I would like to make sure every time. Would that be all right?”

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Titan says softly, reaching up to play with Orion’s hair. “I’m just surprised that you ask a lot.”

“I want to treat you as well as you deserve. You are far too amazing for anything less. To tell you the truth, I’m still rather surprised that someone as amazing as you are—”

“Orion,” Titan says, his voice monotone as pulls away and holds Orion at arm’s length. “Don’t you dare go there again.”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“I’m revoking your hug privileges,” Titan says, letting his arms fall to his sides.

“P-pardon? My what?” Orion stammers, adjusting his glasses with one hand while his other continues to support Titan by the waist.

Titan braces one foot against the floor, threatening to move away.

“My apologies,” Orion says, far too frantic. “I won’t bring it up again.”

Titan folds his arms and raises an eyebrow at him.

“For now.”

“For now,” Titan repeats, entirely unimpressed, but he lets his head rest against Orion’s shoulder again. They sit in a comfortable silence, their breathing and thundering heartbeats loud enough to make up for words.

Titan turns his head, resting his temple against Orion’s shoulders as his gaze roams the room. It’s no longer the same as when he and his brothers first started to live there. Toys of various kinds, including the plushes that Argon won for his brothers in their first trip to an arcade together, line up one of the shelves he managed to save up for. Picture frames line up the row above it—an old family photo, one of him and his brothers, another showing Balt holding up a speech contest certificate at school, and one of all three of them with Jii and the rest of Arcareafact.

It’s nice, not being alone after so long. Too nice. His jaw trembles and tears prick at his eyes. Not wanting to alert Orion, he blinks them back and shifts his gaze away. His eyes soon fall on the heater.

Right. The heater. Orion couldn’t have possibly lugged that heater all the way from his home to Titan’s, could he? Not in the cold, and definitely not on his own. He shoos away the thought of Orion being lost, taking wrong turn after wrong turn and eventually finding himself outside of the city.

“Hey,” Titan says softly, tightening his grip around Orion, “you didn’t come alone, did you?”

“Jii drove me here. He’s in the car.”

Wide-eyed, Titan looks up. “He’s still in the car? He’s been there all this time?”

“Yes.” Orion’s smile is soft. Fond. “But worry not. He’s sufficiently warm. I wouldn’t have let him stay there otherwise, regardless of what he said.”

Titan frowns. “What did he say?”

Orion looks away. He starts plucking at Titan’s cardigan. “That it’s been a while since we’ve been by ourselves. Just the two of us, that is. He insisted that I go alone for that reason.”

“Oh. Well.” Titan blinks. He then glances at the old clock on the wall. He doesn’t know when the repairmen will come back, but it’ll definitely be a few more hours until he has to pick up Nickel. Taking a deep breath, he looks back at Orion. Or rather, the buttons of his undoubtedly very expensive peacoat. “He’s not wrong,” he concludes in a whisper.

“We have been rather busy as of late,” Orion murmurs, nodding. “We’ve had quite a lot of live shows and photoshoots.”

And Titan has his shifts at work. He’s even thinking of applying for that week-long part-time job down at the bakery a few blocks down. They’re going to need someone to help in selling their limited Christmas cakes, and the pay’s always been good. But, all those considered, “We’re alone now.” It comes out small, feeble, and he almost regrets saying even that much.

“I suppose we are, yes.” Orion purses his lips. “Titan?”

“Yeah?”

“I lied,” he croaks out.

“Oh?”

“A hug was not all I could think of. But I do not want you to do it simply because I gave you something. I…I would like you to do it because you want to.”

Embarrassment burns through Titan and leaves him vulnerable, but he stands his ground and stares back at Orion. “I can’t read your mind, Orion. You’re going to have to tell me.”

“Of course.” Orion brings a fist over his lips and clears his throat. “That is, may I have a kiss?”

Titan inhales sharply. He nods.

Orion spares not a second after, slipping a hand behind Titan’s head and pulling him forward. Their kiss is soft. Gentle. Hesitant. As if it’s his first time kissing Titan. That’s hardly the case, but their first kisses are always like this. Always shy and light.

In the midst of it, as he feels Orion shaking against him, Titan manages to yank off his gloves, one after the other, letting them fall to the side before he scrambles for purchase on Orion’s shoulders. His fingers find Orion’s scarf soon enough, and he breaks away.

“Titan?” Orion’s panting, his voice an unsure stutter when he calls out Titan’s name. His cheeks are flushed, even more than it already was earlier that day, and his eyes are delightfully glassy.

A lump forms in Titan’s throat. He did that. And he can do even better.

Carefully, he removes Orion’s scarf, tossing it aside in the same direction he discarded his gloves. Underneath, he finds the collar of a white button-up shirt, and he can’t help smiling.

“Titan?”

He leans forward to capture Orion’s lips again. He reaches for his neck, fingertips ghosting over his skin. Orion gasps, but refuses to let Titan have the upper hand. Not today, his hands seem to say, as they grab Titan by the hips and pull him even closer.

When Orion does pull away to breathe, Titan takes that moment to adjust his position, shifting one leg over Orion’s lap before lowering himself again.

“As I recall,” Orion breathes, “I only asked for one.”

Exercising great care to not have their horns clash against each other, Titan rests his forehead against Orion’s. “Do you want us to stop?”

Orion answers him with another kiss.

* * *

Glaring at his phone, Titan leans back against Orion’s chest as he heaves a sigh.

“Was that one of the men who were supposed to repair your heater?” Orion asks, voice slow and relaxed.

“Yeah,” Titan mutters, biting back a much more irritated noise. “He said they can’t find any parts. I’m going to have to arrange for a replacement.”

Orion presses his lips against Titan’s hair. “I suppose it’s fortunate that I brought a heater with me then.”

Turning, Titan offers him a smile. Robbed of his peacoat, Orion is reduced to wearing just his shirt. “Yeah, thanks again. It’s going to be helpful.”

Sighing, Orion wraps his arms around Titan and closes his eyes. “My pleasure,” he mumbles.

Titan lightly taps his cheek. “Hey. We can’t stay here for long. Nickel’s classes end in about an hour, and I promised him I’ll pick him up today.”

To Titan’s amusement, Orion pouts. “There’s no rush. We can have Jii drive us there.”

“We still have to get ready,” Titan says, extricating himself from Orion’s embrace and standing up. “That shirt’s too thin for the temperature outside. Wear something over it.”

“You took my coat.”

“It’s warm.” And Orion’s not allowed to wear it without prior notice. “You can have the trench coat you lent to me the other day back,” Titan says, walking over to where he hung clothes that he’d rather not fold, like Orion’s coats, or that one tuxedo he endeavored to keep as clean as possible for formal events. They have to attend far too many.

Orion lets himself fall back against the floor with a dull thud. “You can keep it,” he says, arm resting against his forehead.

“I’m not keeping any of your fashionably expensive coats.” Even if they are warm and smell as dangerously nice as Orion. “You can take them all back when it’s time for you to go home. Now, come on.”

“Gravity is more powerful than usual today.”

Titan gapes at him. “What? No, it’s not. Up.”

Orion cracks his eyes open. “Or what?”

“I’ll let Nickel draw on your face when we get home,” Titan drawls.

Orion gasps. “You wouldn’t.” When Titan simply raises an eyebrow at him, he makes a show of sighing, loud and long. “Unbelievable. Using the littlest one against me. Very well.” With great difficulty and deliberate sluggishness, he raises his arms and motions for Titan to pull him up.

Titan sighs in exasperation. After laying the trench coat over the kotatsu’s tabletop, he grabs Orion’s hands and pulls. “Please tell me you don’t make your butler do this.”

“Of course not,” Orion says, wrinkling his nose. “That’s hardly appropriate. Although Jii would pat my head at my request when I was much younger.”

“Well, I’m not patting your head.” He picks up the trench coat and dumps it into Orion’s arms. “Now here, wear this.” As soon as Orion shrugs it on, Titan presses the tiniest pair of gloves against his hands. “While you’re at it, take these, too. Nickel would love to receive them from you directly.”

Orion grips the gloves, uncertainty evident in his furrowed brow. “Are you certain?”

“Yeah,” Titan says, giving his arm a soothing rub. “Maybe Balt would like that, too. Do you want to stick around until his classes are over?”

“If you’ll have me.”

Titan smiles. “Of course.” After picking up his own gloves and pulling the kotatsu's and the heater's respective plugs, he starts heading for the door, but he stops when he realizes that Orion’s not following him. “What’s wrong?”

Orion blinks owlishly at the floor. And then, “Kiss?”

Titan can’t help it. Despite his embarrassment, he laughs. “You’re being incredibly spoiled today,” he teases.

“It’s your fault,” Orion says petulantly.

“All right.” Titan gives him a peck on the lips, and Orion offers him a smile brimming with soft affection in return. It sends Titan’s heart into another frenzy, one that yells, loud and clear. He loves Orion. He really, really does.

Maybe, just maybe, instead of debating with himself whether he deserves this or not, whether he deserves the chance to stand next to Orion not simply as his rival but as someone who can make him smile this way for the rest of their lives, he can just prove himself worthy of it. Of him.

Orion reaches for his hand, chasing away what remains of his doubts.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the lovely marise for being such a dear and listening to my OriChita ramblings. Bless you!
> 
> If you like what I write, feel free to yell about these dorks with me [here](https://twitter.com/songsofthestars). For more ways to find me, [here's my Carrd](https://artwaltzed.carrd.co/).


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